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25 March: St. Dismas… the Good Thief
Were it not for the observance of the Octave of Easter, today would have the Feast of the Annunciation.
However, did you know that today is the feast day of St. Dismas the "Good Thief"?
Here is his entry from the Martyrologium Romanum:
2. Commemoratio sancti latronis, qui, in cruce Christum confessus, ab eo meruit audire: "Hodie mecum eris in paradiso".
St. Dismas is my confirmation patron, and a frequent object of devotion for me. I’ve always thought it appropriate that the first person promised paradise by our Crucified Lord is commemorated at the same time as the celebration of His earthly conception.
Comment by Tim Ferguson — 25 March 2008 @ 10:03 pmThe timing of the feast day is no coincidence. Tradition says that Jesus died on March 25 (questions of accuracy notwithstanding), the same date as his conception by the Holy Spirit. The thief would have died on the same day, which would make it the appropriate date for remembering him.
Trivia question: What was the name of the BAD thief???
Comment by David L Alexander — 26 March 2008 @ 6:53 amtrivia answer: Gestas
Comment by Tim Ferguson — 26 March 2008 @ 6:58 amI always thought his name was “GesMas.”
Comment by Jon — 26 March 2008 @ 7:36 amAccording to wikipedia, the font of all knowledge, Gesmas is an alternate spelling for Gestas.
Comment by Tim Ferguson — 26 March 2008 @ 8:05 amIt reminds me of this stanza of St. Thomas’ hymn Adoro Te Devote:
In cruce latebat sola Deitas / at hic latet simul et humanitas / ambo tamen credens atque confitens / peto quod petivit latro paenitens.
Comment by Prof. Basto — 26 March 2008 @ 8:28 ampeto quod petivit latro paenitens
Amen!
Comment by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf — 26 March 2008 @ 8:32 amOkay, Tim Ferguson got the answer right the first time. He wins the holy card. Good boy.
Comment by David L Alexander — 26 March 2008 @ 9:06 amwoo hoo – I can add that to my collection. Years ago, when I was a pipsqueak college seminarian, and Fr. Z was a major seminarian, we got into a little bit of a who can come up with the most obscure holy card contest. If I recall correctly, my St. Dionysius the Areopagite proved a strong contest to his St. Agnes of Bohemia, but we were both bested by a mutual friends’ St. Lydwina and St. Adolf.
Comment by Tim Ferguson — 26 March 2008 @ 9:27 amThis is from the “The Arabic Gospel of the Infancy of the Saviour”, which some contest inspired the Koran.
http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0806.htm
‘And turning away from this place, they came to a desert; and hearing that it was infested by robbers, Joseph and the Lady Mary resolved to cross this region by night. But as they go along, behold, they see two robbers lying in the way, and along with them a great number of robbers, who were their associates, sleeping. Now those two robbers, into whose hands they had fallen, were Titus and Dumachus. Titus therefore said to Dumachus: I beseech you to let these persons go freely, and so that our comrades may not see them. And as Dumachus refused, Titus said to him again: Take to yourself forty drachmas from me, and hold this as a pledge. At the same time he held out to him the belt which he had about his waist, to keep him from opening his mouth or speaking. And the Lady Mary, seeing that the robber had done them a kindness, said to him: The Lord God will sustain you by His right hand, and will grant you remission of your sins. And the Lord Jesus answered, and said to His mother: Thirty years hence, O my mother, the Jews will crucify me at Jerusalem, and these two robbers will be raised upon the cross along with me, Titus on my right hand and Dumachus on my left; and after that day Titus shall go before me into Paradise. And she said: God keep this from you, my son. And they went thence towards a city of idols, which, as they came near it, was changed into sand-hills.’
Comment by Irulats — 26 March 2008 @ 9:50 amWhen I was in Catholic school, I did miss out on some lovely holy cards
because my desk was not neat enough. But I still amassed a collection. It
is strange that one of the things my sister remembers about me was
my collection of holy cards—which I still have. I now look for relic
holy cards though to pray with ane keep in my missal (and change out monthly)
I recently read that a tradition has it that Our Lord died on March 25th,
Comment by magdalen — 26 March 2008 @ 9:53 amthe same date as the Incarnation and that Easter was the 27th. I had not
known of that before.
a who can come up with the most obscure holy card contest
Now that sounds great! Father, couldn’t we do that here on the blog? What do you say? I also have a card of St Agnes of Bohemia.
Tim Ferguson: I don’t know whether you have a scanner, but if so, would you consider making a scan of that St Dionysius Areopagita card? He is my confirmation patron, but I have never found a holy card of him. I would gladly reciprocate with a card I might have and you are looking for. If you want to that, simply send an email to Shawn of the NLM, he will forward it to me. Thanks!
Comment by Gregor — 26 March 2008 @ 9:54 ama who can come up with the most obscure holy card contest
Now that sounds great! Couldn’t we do that here on the blog? Father, what do you think?
Tim Ferguson: I don’t know whether you have a scanner, but if so would you consider making a scan for me of the St Dionysius Areopagita holy card? He is my confirmation patron, but I’ve never found a holy card of him. I would gladly reciprocate with a holy card of mine. If you want to do this, simply send an email to Shawn of the NLM, he will forward it to me. Thanks!
Comment by Gregor — 26 March 2008 @ 10:06 amForgot to add: I too have a St. Agnes of Bohemia holy card.
Comment by Gregor — 26 March 2008 @ 10:10 amI second that request. I’m dying to see a St. Dionysius the Areopagite holy card.
Comment by Zadok the Roman — 26 March 2008 @ 12:20 pmThe trivia question was easy – Dismas addressed Gesmas by name in “The Passion of the Christ” (although not vice versa).
I was baptized on March 25, 1979 and I occasionally wear a medal of St. Dismas.
Comment by Tony — 26 March 2008 @ 2:57 pmThe traditional names “Gesmas” and “Dismas” for the two robbers crucified with Jesus first appear, I believe, in the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus (which also, interestingly enough, predicted that the world would end about A.D. 500).
Comment by JP — 26 March 2008 @ 3:25 pm